So, you’re having friends over for a special occasion and thinking about making a toast with a bottle of bubbly. And then you realize, you haven’t actually found the time to purchase champagne glasses. Can your white wine glass collection serve the purpose?
Well, in the case of champagne, not just any glass can do. The taste of a sparkling wine can be drastically affected by the type of glass you choose. So, if you’re going to be drinking something as luxurious as champagne, you want to invest in some proper glasses. When it comes to choosing the type of drinking glass that’s ideal for enjoying champagne, here are some things to consider.
Shape
The shape of the drinking glass influences the development of the aroma and the bubbles. As a rule, the bowl should be tall and wide enough to collect the aroma of the wine, and the base should be pointy to help form a single stream of fine bubbles as you pour it. With that being said, the most popular glass shapes for champagne are the flute and the tulip. The flute glass preserves the bubbles the most and is perfect for serving bone-dry sparkling wines, such as Brut, Extra-Brut, Brut Nature, Crémant and Cava. On the other hand, the tulip glass is a bit wider in the middle, which allows it to collect more floral aromas, making it ideal for the more aromatic, fruity sparkling wines, such as Prosecco, sparkling Rosé and similar wines. If you want to enjoy aged sparkling wine such as Franciacorta and Gran Reserva Cava, a wide tulip glass will help bring out the aged flavours of biscuit and brioche better.
Material
Champagne glasses are made of either crystal or regular glass. The difference between the two is their thickness. In order to be durable, regular glass needs to be thicker. On the other hand, crystal is stronger and as such can be made thinner. In general, the thinner the glass, the more enjoyable the drinking experience. However, this is often a personal preference. Additionally, consider how willing you are to hand wash the glasses. While standard glass is smooth and non-porous and can handle being washed in the dishwasher, fine crystal is fussier and is best washed by hand.
Durability
Champagne glasses have a heavy top which can be a problem as it increases their chance to slide off trays or get knocked over. This is especially common with flutes. So, if you’re clumsy, you may want to stick to tulip glasses just in case.
